MSI receives a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) award from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command for further development and fabrication of Near Net Shape Forming of Aluminum Oxynitride (AlON).

Within the next three years, the Joint Common Missile (JCM) will be transitioned to full-scale production. Aluminum oxynitride (AlON) transparent ceramics are established seeker dome materials having optical and mechanical characteristics that are well suited for the JCM application. Total U.S. procurements of JCM are anticipated to be in excess of 60,000 units over several years. Currently, the cost of finished seeker domes is a substantial part of the overall seeker system cost. Scalable manufacturing processes are urgently needed for cost-effectively producing these seeker domes within the next 2-3 years. This Phase II SBIR brings together MSI's Phase I results, its internally funded R&D work in transparent ceramic production and its established net-shaped ceramic manufacturing technology to do just that.

MSI Vice President, Dr. Brian Pazol, stated "We are very pleased that the Army recognizes the unique performance and cost benefits of our near net shape AlON technology and is interested in further developing this capability."